When margarine appeared on the market and people accepted this product, butter was given a bad name because many experts believed that individuals could not practice a healthy diet and keep their hearts healthy if they included butter on their menu. Butter is actually fat and this is the reason why many people eliminate it from their diet.
However, it turns out that butter is able to bring many health benefits to the body. This is especially true for butter that comes from grass-fed cows. But, what are the effects of a cow’s diet on the butter based on its milk? Is this butter good for the cardiovascular health?
When people discuss healthy butter varieties, the main focus is placed on two compounds – omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid or CLA. Cows that consume grass, unlike those who consume grains and other similar foods, have milk (which also goes for the butter based on this milk) that comes with higher amounts of omega-3 fatty acids and CLA.
A scientific study has confirmed that omega-3 fatty acids are able to preserve cardiovascular health which means that they can boost heart health and protect us from hyperlipidemia or unusually high cholesterol levels in the blood. In addition, it was proven that CLA is able to eliminate the negative impact of saturated fat found in dairy products.
As a matter of fact, cows that follow a grass-based diet produce milk that contains 500% more CLA compared to regular milk.
Saturated Fat Fiction
There are a growing number of scientific studies that are focused on debunking the myth that saturated fat is actually bad for human health. For instance, a scientific study published not while ago which contained analysis of more than 30 observational researches focused on fatty acids confirmed that there is no strong evidence that can indicate that increased intake of polyunsaturated fat and decreased saturated fat intake lead to improved cardiovascular health.
Another study from 2010 has shown that there is no distinctive link between cardiovascular health and a diet packed with saturated fat. In other words, the bad reputation of saturated fat is just fiction.
The Importance of Location
In addition, two scientific studies published about 6 years ago, provided more info on the usefulness of consumption of dairy products that come from grass-fed cows. Based on its results we can tell that there is another important factor that determines the usefulness – location.
These studies focused on cardiac health took place in Australia and Sweden. These locations were selected on purpose because these countries have many grass-fed cows.
The conclusion of these studies was that dairy intake could affect cerebrovascular events and cardiovascular events and that dairy intake has nothing to do with mortality. These countries have healthy dairy products that are safe for consumption.
So, in case the butter is based on milk obtained from grass-fed cows, you will notice this fact on the label. Don’t forget to check this before you buy dairy products.
Via Herbs Info